This invention relates to new hair fixative compositions and to improved methods of providing curl retention to hair in which there is employed as the film forming ingredient certain organosilicon materials which are low strength elastomers. The term "low strength elastomers" for the purposes of this invention is understood to mean that the organosilicon material is essentially an unfilled low modulus silicone network polymer.
Fixatives are designed to provide a temporary setting effect or curl to the hair, and while the most common fixative is a hair spray which is designed to be applied to the hair after the hair has been blow dried, several specialty type fixatives can be applied either after the hair is towel dried or to dry hair, in order to provide more body and volume to the hair, and to aid in styling, modeling, and sculpting of the hair into unique new looks. This is followed by application of a hair spray in the form of an aerosol or pump spray to maintain the shape and style of the hair and provide gloss and sheen to the hair, in addition to a well groomed and natural appearance. Such special type fixatives are marketed under various names including styling gels, styling cremes, styling mousses, styling foams, styling sprays, styling spritz, styling mists, styling glazes, styling fixes; sculpting lotions, sculpting gels, sculpting glazes, sculpting sprays; glossing gels, glossing spritz; shaping gels; forming mousses; modeling spritz; finishing spritz; fixing gels; and setting lotions.
Wheather the fixative is the more common hair spray or a specialty type fixative, it will typically include a film forming additive as the hair holding agent. The film forming additive should provide hair holding properties and curl retention, little flaking or powder on combing, rapid curing or drying on hair, nonstickiness, and be easily removable by shampooing. Film forming additives are typically delivered by a solvent which is usually alcohol such as ethanol or a mixture of an alcohol and water. In the case of aerosol formulations such as hairsprays and mousses, a propellant such as isobutane, butane, propane, or dimethyl ether is an added part of the delivery system.
Examples of currently used film forming agents are shellac, polyvinylpyrrolidone-ethyl methacrylate-methacrylic acid terpolymer, vinyl acetate-crotonic acid copolymer, vinyl acetate-crotonic acid-vinyl neodeconate terpolymer, poly(vinylpyrrolidone-ethylmethacrylate) methacrylic acid copolymer, vinyl methyl ether-maleic anhydride copolymer, octylacrylamide-acrylate-butylaminoethyl-methacrylate copolymer, and poly(vinylpyrrolidone-dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate) copolymer and derivatives. These particular polymers are most suitable for alcohol based formulations such as hair sprays and pumps, and are sometimes used in water-based fixative products.
Typical organic fixative systems include what are known in the trade as GANTREZ.RTM. resins which are polymers consisting of the partial ethyl ether of the polycarboxylic resin formed from vinyl methyl ester and maleic anhydride. One of the more popular GANTREZ.RTM. resins is GANTREZ.RTM. ES 225, a product of the GAF Corporation, Wayne N. J. GANTREZ.RTM. is also a trademark of the GAF Corporation. This resin has been the film forming ingredient in such products as WHITE RAIN.RTM. and FINAL NET.RTM.. Such resins are typically employed as an ethanol based pump spray.
Organic fixative systems inherently result in such undesirable properties as loss of curl-retention with time, hygroscopicity, tackiness and dullness of apperance. In addition, organic fixative system typically have poor high temperature properties which limit their use in curling iron applications.
In accordance with the present invention, a new fixative formulation is provided which includes an unfilled low strength silicone elastomer formed via moisture cure. Advantages of using silicone elastomers over organic resins are good curl retention with time due to improved humidity resistance and lack of hygroscopicity of the silicone. In addition, the silicone elastomer leaves no residue on hair, is soluble in silicones and other resin plasticizers, provides a shine effect on hair and exhibits favorable high temperature properties which makes curling iron and hair dryer applications possible in addition to room temperature applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,499, issued Feb. 20, 1990, relates to the use of rigid silicone polymers in hair care compositions, however, the '499 patent does not teach the particular silicone elastomers of the present invention. The present invention is not concerned with rigid silicone polymers. Instead, the present invention is concerned with unfilled minimally crosslinked siloxanes which are crosslinked "in situ" using moisture cure to form a low modulus solubilized silicone network polymer with elastomeric properties. In situ crosslinking implies that while some crosslinking may occur prior to application of the composition to a substrate, the majority of crosslinking takes place when the composition is exposed to the atmosphere and applied to hair. The silicone polymers in the '499 patent, however, are filler reinforced highly crosslinked siloxanes which are previously crosslinked by methods other than moisture cure. The filler reinforced system of the '499 patent suffer from the disadvantages of poor aesthetics on hair due to the presence of large amounts of solid fillers, material opacity, a sticky and tacky feel, and poor shampoo removability. Precursors of the silicone polymers of the present invention are low molecular weight siloxanes, and these precursors provide handling improvements due to their lower viscosities, as opposed to the high molecular weight siloxanes called for in the '499 patent.
The '499 patent is directed to compositions which include conditioning polymers such as linear dialkylsiloxanes. Conditioning polymers adversely affect holding properties in fixative formulations. Therefore, the linear dialkylsiloxane polymers are eliminated or reduced in the present invention via crosslinking due to moisture cure. The method of curing and crosslinking employed by the present invention eliminates linear polymers associated with poor hair holding properties and generates a network of cross-linked polymers in the form of a solubilized low strength elastomer.
It is not known in the prior art that low strength elastomers, and/or moisture cured elastomers, employed in the amounts described, would provide the overall style retention benefits which are observed herein.